„Beyond the City” explores the relationships between the residents of three adjoining homes. The cast of characters includes a widowed doctor with two daughters, a retired admiral with a wife and son, and a feminist living with her nephew. Destiny brings these three peculiar households together in the placid English countryside. The desire for money and romance drive these Victorians beyond the natural boundaries of their middle-class lives. As the web of lust and deceit dr...
B.M. Bower was an American writer of Western novels and short stories who wrote over 55 novels. Several of her stories were subsequently adapted and made into movies. This story of the cow country concerns the efforts of the Sawtooth Cattle Company, who number their cattle by the tens of thousands, to eliminate the smaller outfits around. Al Woodruff, the evil eye of the Sawtooth, is efficient in his particular line of work, which is the reason why Brit Hunter of the Quirt ...
Trailblazing female Western writer Bertha Muzzy Bower wrote a series of pulse-pounding novels about the grizzled vaqueros and cowpokes who populated the Flying U Ranch. This book is about a ranch called Flying U Ranch. Thousands of sheep invaded the coulee. The Ranch brings back a happy family of cowboys introduced in Chip of the Flying U that also took place at the Flying U ranch. Fleshed out with meticulous details about the period and plenty of action, „Flying U Ranch” i...
Stanley Grauman Weinbaum (also wrote as John Jessel and Marge Stanley) (1902-1935) was an American science fiction author. His career in science fiction was short but influential. His first story, „A Martian Odyssey”, was published to great acclaim in July 1934. Most of the stories fall into two categories: travelogue types that explore different planets, and the others with Dixon Wells and the great scientist Van Manderpootz, who invents amazing stuff that Wells manages to...
William Hulbert Footner (1879-1944) was a Canadian writer of non-fiction and detective fiction. His first published works were travelogues of canoe trips on the Hudson River and in the Northwest Territory along the Peace River, Hay River and Fraser River. He also wrote a series of northwest adventures during the period 1911 through 1920. „Two on the Trail (A Story of the Far Northwest) is a popular book by Hulbert Footner. Old time tail of adventure. A different account in ...
This is a solid, basic cowboy story from B. M. Bower, an early work of hers on the standard ranching setting she writes many more times. This is one of her stories. This follows the life of a boy from very early youth until he finds his own way and establishes his name. Through hazards, difficulties and dangers, Bob sets out to discover life for himself. With awfully wild terrain and red-Indians around him, he has to find his way. More than the threats posed by nature are t...
After a minimal education in Canada, Footner emigrated to New York in 1898 and worked at a variety of jobs, including an unsuccessful stint as an actor. He turned to journalism and worked for a time as a freelancer, contributing articles to periodicals such as Field and Stream. His first works were primarily travelogues of various river trips in Canada and the U.S., although he did produce some adventure novels. He is also credited with introducing the first American female...
Narrated by the character for whom the title is named and set in the late 1600’s, Micah Clarke describes the battle of peasants against the existing king of England in the hopes that they can replace the monarch with his brother who feels he has been unjustly denied the throne. Micah Clarke, a young, innocent peasant joins forces with other peasants, among the Puritans, to fight for this pathetic duke’s cause. It was attempt by Conan Doyle to present the story of the Purita...
B.M Bower had a gift for writing Westerns, weaving tales of adventure, intrigue, mystery, and romance – often with surprise endings. They are historical reminiscences of pioneers among the sage and bush, clearing the way for a new America. This is one of her stories. A man travels from Montana to San Jose to show a girl how the wide West breeds wider morals. The plot is well constructed with well drawn subsidiary characters and provides a number of interesting twists. Wheth...
When „The Black Flame” was first published in 1939, Stanley G. Weinbaum had already been dead for three years. This novel contains of two short novels: „Dawn of Flame” and „The Black Flame”. Both are very similar stories, the reason for that is that Weinbaum had not released the first one and reworked it into the longer second part. The story itself is a weird SciFi love story set in a very distant future. Mankind had nearly become extinct, but recovers to a good number by ...
„The Under Dogs", published in 1925, is the first novel about Rosika Storey, told by her trusty secretary, Bella Brickley. Beautiful, intelligent Madame Rosika Storey, a respected investigator, becomes interested in the case of a young girl accused of jewel robbery. Although Melanie is desperate, she rejects Mme. Storey’s help, because the gang that is after her is ruthless and, she thinks, unstoppable. When Melanie is kidnapped, Mme. Storey goes undercover herself, and wal...
Love humor writing? Can’t get enough of classic adventure tales? First published in 1902, „The Adventures of Gerard” are the autobiographical reminiscences of an old fictional brigadier soldier who served under Napoleon. He never hesitates to embellish his own bravado, importance, and attractiveness to the ladies, to such an extent that it can’t help but be humorous. Etienne Gerard, a hussar of the French Army, is dashing, flamboyant, and unbelievably full of himself. The b...
As well as penning some of the most popular detective fiction, Conan Doyle also wrote thrilling adventure stories. „Rodney Stone” is a combination of both. Nelson, Beau Brummell, Fox and King George III himself appear in a tale at the heart of which is, as one character says, „a pretty conspiracy – a criminal, an actress and a prize-fighter, all playing their parts”. The book is narrated by Rodney, in 1851 thinking back over the events 1803, when Rodney was 17 and his best ...
„A Duet, with an Occasional Chorus” is a novel by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in 1899. The novel features the story of a happily married couple which is threatened by a previous lover of the husband. Also, the novel tells the adventures of a young couple, starting from their wedding preparation and ending with the birth of their first child. They are funny and cute, love each other, passionate and want always to be together. They make rules for family l...
Joseph Smith Fletcher (7 February 1863 – 30 January 1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. Jackie Farnish has grown up in a grindingly poor household, and as she reaches adulthood she resolves to do whatever is necessary to claw her way out of poverty. She is loved by her childhood playmate Joe Bartle, but takes him for granted and feels that he lacks the spark or ambition to match...
Richard Austin Freeman, the doyen of the scientific division of detective writing is best known for his character Dr. John Thorndyke. A close and careful investigator and the outstanding medical authority in the field of detective fiction, R. Austin Freeman not only tested the wits of the reader but also inspired many modern detective forensic methods. „Shuttlebury Cobb” is a completely different sort of book. In it Freeman demonstrates his sense of humor and whimsy as he f...
„The Talleyrand Maxim" belongs to the pen of an outstanding British journalist and writer Joseph Smith Fletcher. Linford Pratt is a suave and clever law clerk looking for a chance to better himself. Opportunity knocks when he gets possession of a rich man’s will that would mean the ruin of the present heirs. His thoughts turn to blackmail, since he assumes the wrongful heirs would pay a high price to hang onto their wealth. Pratt’s personal hero is the subtle, wily diplomat...
This novel takes place in the London parish of Paddington. The story opens with the murder of an old Jewish pawnbroker. Our Scottish hero, Andrew Lauriston, a penniless aspiring writer, has the misfortune of finding the body, and is accused of killing and robbing the old man. But then it’s found the pawnbroker had had in his possession an extraordinary South African diamond worth over eighty-thousand pounds – a diamond that’s now missing. It falls to Melky Rubenstein to unr...
Viner stumbles upon the body of a murdered man whilst just following through his ordinary day routines. Little does he know that this find would make him a key figure in solving a big mystery. Well its soon discovered that the murdered man’s name was Ashton and some important documents were stolen from him, but the true purpose for killing him and his real identity and that of his charge, make for a rather excitingly interesting murder-mystery... Nevertheless, Mr. Fletcher ...
This novel, first published in 1922, is a good example of J. S. Fletcher’s complex plots. The story starts with a famous actor gone missing in suspicious circumstances in northern England. But other dark deeds soon take our attention. Copplestone, the young dramatist, helping to solve the mystery, found himself suddenly in love; and the solution and his happiness were discovered together. In the search for Oliver, we find ourselves on a wild and lonely coast off the North S...
This is a story of graft and corruption set in one of Fletchers favoured Northern towns. The mayor who is on a clean-up campaign is found dead in his parlour and our hero, his younger cousin, is determined to find out who killed him. Was he eliminated for this reason? There are entanglements involving city officials and his proposed reforms plus jealousy related to relationships. Lots of twists with a surprise murderer. The plot is cleverly centered around the inquest, whic...
Another fast-paced murder mystery by J.S. Fletcher told in the first person. He wrote about 200 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the „Golden Age”. It was first published in 1920, and has just the right stock of truly good characters, balanced by a couple of nasties. A young apprentice solicitor in a rural English town bordering Scotland, is riding his bike through lonely stretches of...
Pat is a beautiful young woman with many admirers. Nick is a young man with a secret. When his dark side interferes with their burgeoning love, things turn grim, and psychologist Carl Horker has to intervene. The plot wraps up in a way that the coming Hollywood would approve of, and with a deus ex machina that a theater would envy. Stanley Grauman Weinbaum (April 4, 1902 – December 14, 1935) was an American science fiction writer. His career in science fiction was short but...
A quaint and idyllic English community is rocked to its very core when a dead body of a man is found and foul play is suspected. Did he fall or was he pushed? The inquest records a verdict of death by misadventure but more than one person is dubious about the death. But with few clues to go on and no likely suspects, it appears that the brutal crime may remain unsolved. There’s another murder, lots of behind the scenes investigation into burial and marriage records, questio...
